A look at the latest developments on Assembly elections from the five states:

  1. Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Monday  filed his nomination papers  from a second seat, Bhadaur, reserved for a scheduled caste candidate, PTI reported. Channi is already contesting from the Chamkaur Sahib seat. The incumbent chief minister also hit back at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who on Sunday had claimed that Channi was contesting from two seats as he was going to lose from Chamkaur Sahib. “Let Kejriwal come and contest against me from any seat in Punjab,” Channi was quoted as saying.
  2. Shiv Sena on Monday withdrew its candidate from Goa’s Panaji seat in a show of support for late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s son Utpal Parrikar who is contesting as an independent candidate, NDTV reported. “We’re just keeping our word,” said Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha Parliamentarian Sanjay Raut on Twitter. Utpal Parrikar had resigned from BJP after it fielded its sitting legislator
  3. Union minister SP Singh Baghel on Monday filed his nomination papers from Karhal Assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh, PTI reported. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is set to contest from Karhal as well. Baghel is the Lok Sabha MP from Agra and the Minister of State for Law and Justice in the Union government.
  4. Congress candidates in Goa will take a pledge of loyalty with party leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday and promise not to defect after the elections next month, NDTV reported. In 2017, the Bharatiya Janata Party managed to wrest power in Goa even though the Congress had emerged as the single largest party. Only two of Congress’s 17 legislators are still with the party now. On Saturday, the Congress had its candidates pledge their loyalty at a mosque, temple and church in Goa, India Today reported.
  5. The police have initiated legal action against Bharatiya Janata Party MP and Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan for violating the model code of conduct and Covid-19 regulations in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, PTI reported. Kishan was in Noida to campaign for the party’s candidate and sitting legislator Pankaj Singh. Even as rallies have been banned till February 11, Kishan’s programme was conducted among several people at Chotpur village.